Saffron cauliflower

If you've always thought that cauliflower can't be exciting, here's a dish that might make you want to reconsider. The sultanas and olives flavour each other during the cooking, combining to create a sweet and salty aromatic salsa. Serves two.

1 medium cauliflower, divided into florets

1 red onion, sliced

70g sultanas

90g green olives, pitted and cut in half lengthways

½ tsp saffron strands, infused in 3 tbsp of boiling water

3 tbsp olive oil

2 bayleaves

Salt and pepper

4 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, picked and roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. In a large mixing bowl, toss together all the ingredients except the parsley.

Tip the contents of the bowl into an oven-proof dish, shake to even out a bit, cover with foil and bake for around 40-45 minutes. Halfway through the cooking, remove from the oven, lift off the lid, give the contents of the oven dish a thorough stir, cover again and return to finish off cooking. The cauliflower is ready when tender but not too soft.

Remove from the oven, lift off the foil covering and leave to cool down a little before stirring in the chopped parsley. Taste, adjust the seasoning as necessary and serve warm or at room temperature. For an extra layer of flavour, you might like to drizzle a little tahini sauce on top.